It’s been a good week in New York sports. The Knicks are up 2-0 on the Celtics, the Islanders got the first pick in the draft, Mike Sullivan was introduced Thursday as coach of the Rangers, and the Mets keep rolling along. Meanwhile in the Bronx, things have been a bit bumpier. The Yanks are 5-5 in their last ten, though the last two games improved that mark considerably. They wasted chances to beat bad teams last week, losing both series to the Rays and Orioles, before bouncing back in a big way against the Padres. Let’s talk about what’s gone into all that!

The Good

Late Inning Heroics: Any good ball club has to be able to get big hits in big spots, especially late in games. The Yankees, to this point in the season hadn’t needed a lot of late inning heroics in their wins, as they have played a fair amount of blow outs. But Tuesday and Wednesday night at the stadium called for some dramatic flare. The Bombers entered the 7th on Tuesday night down 3-2, and proceeded to put up the ten spot you watched above. They followed that up Wednesday with red hot Trent Grisham tying the game in the 8th, once again against the Padres vaunted pen. This led to two really fun wins, helping to get the boys back on track after a letdown Monday!

Bombs Away Belli: The Yankees need to start getting more out of their supporting cast. Yes Ben Rice and Trent Grisham are good stories, but the Yankees added big ticket items in the winter to help elevate this club. One of those guys is Cody Bellinger, who is starting to pick it up after struggling early on. In his last 7 games, the big lefty has started to find his stroke, hitting .250 in that span, with two homers and four RBI’s. He looks more comfortable at the plate as his back has healed from a spring injury and he continues to make plays in the field. It’s a good breakout week for Cody, and the Yankees need it to continue.

The Bad

Short a Shortstop: That’s what it feels like the Yankees are right now, as Anthony Volpe remains unimpressive up the middle. Number 11 arrived with so much hype, and has up to this point, failed to live up to it in my opinion. He’s hitting just .229, with five homers and 21 RBI’s. He’s already made four errors in just 36 games, not good enough when playing a premium defensive position and you don’t hit much. Volpe’s mistakes seem to come at critical times too, with errors in the late innings like Saturday against Tampa, as he botched a double play ball that would have ended the inning. He’s not close to what was promised and this team needs more from a “core player.”

Jazz on the Shelf: The Yankees can’t seem to escape the injury bug this year, as last week they lost Jazz Chisholm to a strained oblique. Number 13 will be out 4-6 weeks, a tough blow as he’s struggled to get going this year to begin with. The Yanks will platoon second base in his absence with Jorbit Vivas sharing time with Oswald Peraza. Hopefully Jazz can get back soon and more importantly, hopefully the Yankees can have some better injury luck.

Highlight of the Week

Airbender Returns: Devin Williams struggles so far this year have been well publicized, and they eventually led to him being demoted from the closers role to the 8th inning. The good news is, he looks like he is finding it a bit, as four of his last five outings have been scoreless. The highlight of that stretch game Wednesday night against the heart of the Padres order, as he fanned Tatis, Machado and Bogaerts to keep the game tied in the 10th. His “airbender” change up looked the best it has all year and he was fired up about his work, in the wake of another meltdown Monday night. Hopefully we see more of this going forward, as he seems to be in a better frame of mind based on his postgame remarks!

The Yankees hit the road this weekend, for a six game trip that will take them to Sacramento and Seattle! Those six contests will pit them against the top two teams in the AL West, as the A’s are off to a solid start in their new minor league digs and the Mariners are 22-14, having gone 8-2 in their last 10. It won’t be an easy trip, but the Yankees start it up still holding a 2.5 game lead in the East over the scuffling Red Sox. Hopefully we’re in for a good set of games before they return to the Boogie Down for the first Subway series of the year!

Stay tuned for continuing coverage of the Knicks round two series and the Rangers introduction of Mike Sullivan as head coach! On twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon